Time-control-switch-actuating mechanism



Oct. 21 1924. 1,512,639

J. RUBIN TIME CONTROL SWITCH ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 5. 1923 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Oct. 21 1924.

1,512,639 J. RUBIN TIME CO NTROL SWITCH ACTUATING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 5. 1923 nected at a desired time.

Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES JACOB RUBIN, O'F CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

TIME-CONTROL-SWITCH-AGTUA'IING MECHANISM.

Application filed January 5, 1923. Serial No. 610,790.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that JAooB RUBIN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Charleston, in the county of Kanawha and State of Vest Virginia, has invented new and useful Improvements in Time- Control-Switch-Actuating Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the invention is to pro-- vide a time controlled mechanism adapted particularly for actuating a quick break switch controlling an electric switch so that the current supply may be rendered available at a selected timeand similarly discon- It is a further purpose to provide a construction of this kind which will permit the closing of the switch manually when desired to be released automatically at a specified time. With this general purpose in view the invention consists in a. construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing the improved mechanism, parts being broken away to-show the interior construction and the switch base being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the mechanism of Figure 1, the base portion being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a-view similar to Figure 1 but 7 omitting the time operating mechanism and showing the parts disposedwith the switch in closed position.

I Figure 4 is a .detail perspective view showing the switch actuated mechanism per 'se. I

Figure 5 is a diametrical sectional View of the trip disk and its associated ear.

Figure 6 is a detail elevational view of a portion of the front base of the trip disk. Figure 7 is a similar view of a portion of the gear associated with the trip disk.

The invention is designed for use with any sort of a switch control wherein a reciprocating movement may impart opening and closing movementsto the switch. In the'present instance the switch is the conventional form of knife switch as indicated at 1 mounted on the suitable insulating base 2 which is preferably secured 'onthe side of the casing 3 housing the mechanism. The usual handle is replaced with a. stem 4 connecting with one extremity of a connecting rod 5 which is formed at the opposite extremity with a bifurcate 6 straddling the lower extremity of an actuating lever 7, the latter being pivoted as indicated at 8 in a bracket 9 mounted upon the rear of a plate 10 carrying the essential elements of the mechanism and being supported on the back wall 11 of the housing through the instrumentality of posts 12. A spring 13 connects with the actuating lever 7 at the end remote from its point of connection with the bifurcate 6 and the. remaining extremity of the spring is secured to pin 14. Obviously the tension of the spring tends to rock the lever 7 in a direction which will effect switch closing movement, so that when the other parts of the mechanism are not engaged with the lever the closing of the switch will be effected.

Switch opening movement is accomplished by means of a lever 15 pivoted at its lower extremity as indicated at 16 to the front face of the plate 10, springs 17 being tensioned between the lever and a point on the plate 10 to rock the lever in the direction of the switch so that, nothing else interfering, switch opening movement may be imparted to the lever 7 because of a pin 18 projecting laterally from the rear face of the lever 15 and abutting the right hand edge of the lever 8. The tension of the springs 17 is suflicient'to overcome the tension of the spring 13 and thus accomplish switch opening movement. been elected to use the two springs 17 in connection with the lever 15, they may obviously be replaced with a single spring having the combined strength of the two.

In order that the lever 15 may operate to J effect switch opening movement only at specified times, it is designed for actuation by a trip plate 19 on the face of which is inscribed indicia 20 indicating the twenty four hours of the day. Adjacent the 'periphery of the trip plate and opposite each of the indicating marks 20 there is a perforation 21 and intermediate perforations 21 so that the trip plate may be set for actution on the half hour intervals. Obviously the division may be made finer for actuation on the quarter hour or smaller. The trip plate 19 is spaced from an associated gear 22 which has perforations 23 registering with the perforations 21 and 21*.

While it has The 3 5 upper extremity of the lever 15 is adapted to move freely in the space between the trip plate and its associated gear for contact on its left-hand edge with each of a selected number of trip pins 24 which are selectively insertable in any of the holes 21 or 21. The trip plate being rigidly mounted with respect to its associated gear 22, it and the attached pins 24 travel in a circle as a result of movement imparted to the plate whose gear 22 is rotatably mounted on a stud 25 carried by the plate 10 and has motion communicated to it through an idle gear 26 also rotatably mounted on the plate 10. Motion to the idle gear is had from the hour spindle 27 of the clock mechanism generally indicated at 28, an idle pinion 29 being interposed between the idler 26 and the hour pinion 30.

As the trip plate rotates and any one of its attached pins 24 engages the edge of the lever 15, the latter is rocked to the right, as the mechanism is shown in the drawings, and the lever 7 is thus relieved of the pressure of the springs 17 when the spring 13 is free to act to effect switch closing move-' ment. In order that this switch closing movement may not be gradual but may be instantaneous, the switch is designed to "be held in open position during certain intervals of operation of the device and to this end a latch pawl 31 is provided, pivotally mounted as indicated at 32 on the plate 10, this latch pawl having a seat 33 for engagement with the laterally projecting pin 34 carried by the lever 7, the pawl being extended beyond the seat 33 to provide a counterbalance 35 so that the pawl may act by gravity to bring the seat into engage ment with the pin 34. lVhen the switch is in open position and the seat or notch in the pawl is engaged with the pin 34, the spring 13 is prevented from effecting switch closing movement. The pawl is designed for release by the lever 15, however, and to this end the lever is provided with alater ally projecting pin 36 which traverses the arcuate edge 37 of the lever constituting a cam edge so that after a specified angular movement of the lever 15 the pawl may be rocked to elevate the notch or seat from engagement with the pin 34 to premit the spring 13 to actuate the lever and thus effeet a sudden switch closing movement. hen any one of the pins 24 engage the lever 15 on the left-hand edge, the latter is rocked to the right and the pin 32 traverses the cam edge 37 until. finally the latching pawl is released from the pin to effect the operation of the switch as above described. The continued movement of the trip disk will thus finally release the lever 15 when its springs 17 will operate to overcome the tension of the spring 13 due to the pin 13 impacting with the lever 7 and switch opening movement will be eifected. It is obvious that the pins 24 may be selectively arranged in the trip disk so that the switch may be held closed a specified time or held open a specified time. If desired to hold the switch in closed position, the pins are arranged in adjacent holes so that when one pin releases the lever it will im pact with the next pin and thus will be precluded from movement which will bring its pin 18 into contact with the lever 7 and thus the switch may be held closed one,

two, three or any desired number of hours. To accomplish switch opening movement, the pins are omitted'from the trip disk in the interval representing the time it is desired to have the switch open.

If the mechanism is arranged to accomplish switch closing movement at a specified time in the evening and switch opening movement at a specified time in the night and it is desired that the switch be closed prior to the time at which the mechanism is set to close it, it is possible to effect manual closing of the switch and to this end a latch lever 38 is provided and pivotally mounted on a stud 39 carried by the plate 10, the latch lever having a hook nose 40 which may :be engaged with the pin 36 when the lever 15 is locked to the right which is in a position approximating the extreme position to which it is moved by the trip pins 24. When the lever 15 is thus moved, switch closing movement is effected by the spring 13 but the latch pawl 31 remains inactive for the pin 36 which is in engagement with the latch and the cam edge 37 will hold it elevated. At the time desired for the mechanism to effect switch opening movement, however, the lever 15 is moved to a further position to the right than when it is held by a lever 38 and the pin 36 is thus released from hearing engagement with the nose 40 and the latch lever 38 is permitted to drop to the vertical position indicated in Figure 1 due to the weight of the pawl end 41 thereof and when the lever 15 is finally released by the pin 24, which has engaged it, it may swing to the left under the action of the springs 17 and its pin may engage the lever 7 and thus effect switch opening movement.

In order that the lever 15 may be readily actuated by hand when it is desired to close the switch control about the time at which the mechanism is set to operate, a knob or handle 42 is provided on the extremity of the pin 36 to be grasped in the lingers and thus effect easy swinging of the lever 15 as desired to permit the engagement with the pin of the nose of the locking lever 38.

While not essential in the proper actuation of the mechanism, it is the purpose to provide a hinged cover 43 for the trip plate and ,this cover is carried by posts 44 secured to the plate 10 and of a length suflicient to properly space the cover from the trip disk.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and useful is 1. The combination with a circuit closing element adapted to be actuated by a reciproeating movement, of a spring actuated lever operatively connected with said element to effect circuit closing movement, a second spring actuated lever having means for engagement with the first lever to effect circuit opening movement of said element, a trip disk, means for continuously rotating the trip disk at a uniform rate, trip pins selectively insertable in perforations formed in said disk to eflect the alternate operations of the first and second said levers, a latchin pawl operatively engaged with the first said lever, and means carried by the second said lever and dperatively engaged with said pawl to effect release of the same from the first said lever.

2. The combination with a circuit closing element adapted to be actuated by a reciprocating movement, of a spring actuated lever operatively connected with said ele ment to effect circuit closing movement, a second spring actuated lever having means for engagement with the first lever to efi'ect circuit opening movement of said element, a trip disk, means for continuously rotating the trip disk at a uniform rate, trip pins selectively insertable in perforations formed in said disk to efiect the alternate operations of the first and second said levers, a latching pawl operatively engaged with the first said lever, means carried by the second said lever and operatively engaged with said pawl to effect release of the same from the first said lever, and a manually actuable lever engageable with the second said lever to hold,

said pawl in inoperative position with re-v spect to said first lever.

3. The combination with a circuit closing element adapted to be actuated by a reciprocating movement, of a spring actuated lever operatively connected with said element to efiect circuit closing movement, a second spring actuated lever having means for engagement with the first lever to effect circuit opening movement of said element, automatic means operatively related with said levers to efiect alternate operations of the same, and a latching pawl operatively engaged with the first said lever, said pawl having a cam edge and said second lever being provided with a pin engaging said edge to effect release of the pawl from the first said lever.

4. The combination with a circuit closing element adapted to be actuated by a reciprocaxting movement, of a spring actuated lever operatively connected with said element to effect circuit closing movement, a second spring actuated lever having means for engagement with the first lever to effect circuit opening movement of said element, automatic means operatively related with said levers to effect alternate operations of the same, a latching pawl operatively engaged with the first said lever, said pawl having a cam edge and said second lever being provided with a pin engaging said edge to effect release of the pawl from the first said lever, and a manually actuable lever engaged with the pin on the second said lever to hold the pawl in inoperative position with respect to said first lever.

In testimony whereof he affixes his signature.

JACOB RUBIN. 

